Images produced with conventional printing systems, such as laser or inkjet printers, typically suffer degradation when exposed over time to environmental factors. To improve the longevity of images, a finishing process may be used after printing. The finishing process may include, for example, applying an overcoat material to the image, and then applying heat or pressure to the image.
Unfortunately, “finishing” a print typically requires a separate operation, usually with the intervention by an operator. The finishing process may also interact with the printed image, causing color shifts and other degradations of image quality. A need therefore exists for methods and devices for finishing prints, in particular, wherein the printing and finishing parameters are adjusted to insure image quality.